I am writing you today barely 24 hours after the end of #mtts2014. This isn’t my recap since I’ve barely been able to assimilate myself back into society. Best I’ve managed is to have clean underwear. This is about something else that I experienced during the event that struck me more than anything else.
I started working in the restaurant industry right after high school. Started as a prep cook, worked my way up to assistant kitchen manager and became a corporate trainer before getting into a management position. During this time I has the opportunity to work with people who literally shaped the way I do business today.
The company I worked invented kick ass customer service for the restaurant industry. The service standards we perfected were copied by every chain, large and small. It was, in short, that every employee, from the host and bus staff, all the way back to the kitchen, had the ability to guarantee, no matter what, the guest experience. No manager intervention necessary. It just happened, because that’s the way it should be. No matter what.
MINI Takes the States 2014 was a tremendous undertaking. 1,000’s of people, 400+ MINI Coopers (daily) plus anything and everything else you can think of. The numbers were huge. And, with those kinds of numbers, you would expect a few things to go wrong. And they did.
But here’s the thing. When they went wrong, they were fixed. If person A couldn’t handle it, person B took up the slack before handing it back to person A. There was follow-up. There were hands on repairs by regional managers. Stuff was getting done, done well and in short order to get folks back on the road.
No matter what.
I watched as some of my friends became part of the numbers. And every time it was corrected. Not because they were my friends, but because that was how things were being done. Even if MINIUSA couldn’t do anything to fix an issue, they still managed to find a way to try to lessen the blow. Flowers, a very nice massage at the next stop, personal attention, phone calls, follow-up.
Not many people said anything about their personal experiences on the internet, but I heard the stories and knew it happened, which is why I’m sharing it with you. MINIUSA is really knocking it out of the park and I wanted to make sure you guys knew about it.
We are still closing out #mtts2014. Besides the almost 400 photos we shared, coast-to-coast, we have posted 3 audio pieces and have more to come, including some great audio of an amazing exhaust system that should be coming by the end of the year. Trust me, you can’t wait to hear it!
Sadly I couldn’t make MTTS at all this year, but I so enjoyed the multiple daily updates from friends and folks I’ve never met – pretty well everyone posted gushing positives and it was wonderful :)
Awesome. Having also served in the resturant business I agree with all your insites. Miniusa hit it out the park this time. They exceeded my expectations and I will always treasure this adventure we all had together. Thanks for going along with us and sharing your thoughts wisdom and laughs.
I did want to make part of this journey but have been off on my own little adventure. Looking forward to more WRR articles and pictures.
Spot on, DB. We had a little issue on the road, and were in constant contact with a service rep until the issue was resolved. I know of champagne deliveries, gift cards, flights, etc. When MINI said they were offering assistance for all MINIs – in or out of warranty – I don’t think anyone could have expected the length to which they would go, to at least lessen the sting.
There were a lot of unsung heroes during MTTS. Thanks for recognizing them.
-Jim
We were one of those that had a relatively minor issue develop with our car and planned to have it repaired when we were back home. In casual conversation one morning with a MINI exec, I mentioned the problem, not expecting or wanting anything. He and the Western Regional Manager immediately tracked us down and insisted that they have a look at the problem. The Western Regional Manager personally repaired our car and got us back on the road within the hour. We know that this may be a small example of what went on the last two weeks but the importance of how they all treat people cannot be stressed enough. We just can’t thank all the folks at MINI USA enough for what they did for us in making this whole event possible. They all worked their butts off for us everyday and did it with smiles on their faces the whole time. They made it look easy but we know it was not. They truly treat you as a family member and we are very appreciative of it. If MINI offers a lifetime family membership plan, sign me up!
DB – you said it well! Even the “Mouse House” where I received my best lessons in customer service and guest relations, could take a page from MINI USA. WOW! Talk about an impressive group of people. Makes me very proud to be a MINI owner. Truly an amazing wonderful group of people!